This great classic of Egyptian coastal tables features Nile perch baked on a melting bed of sweet onions, colorful bell peppers and sun-drenched tomatoes. The fish is steeped in a fragrant tetsbeela of crushed garlic, toasted cumin, coriander and lemon to create a savory, comforting family meal.
Ingredients
- 800 g fresh skinless Nile perch fillet
- 2 pieces sweet yellow onion
- 1 piece long green bell pepper
- 1 piece sweet red bell pepper
- 3 pieces ripe round vine tomato
- 6 cloves purple garlic clove
- 1 piece fresh green chili pepper such as Anaheim or jalapeño
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp no-salt-added double-concentrated tomato paste (28%)
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp sweet ground paprika
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.5 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 100 ml warm mineral water
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°C convection.
- In a mortar, crush the garlic cloves with the fine sea salt, seeded green chili, ground cumin, ground coriander, sweet ground paprika and ground black pepper until you have a fine, fragrant paste.
- Pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and half the extra virgin olive oil into the mortar, then mix to combine this marinade.
- Cut the fresh skinless Nile perch fillet into even portions, coat each piece with half of the marinade and let rest at room temperature while you prep the vegetables.
- Peel the sweet yellow onions and cut them into thin rings. Seed the red and green bell peppers, then slice them into strips. Slice the round tomatoes into even rounds.
- In a bowl, toss the onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and most of the chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley with the remaining marinade and the tomato paste dissolved in the warm mineral water.
- Arrange two-thirds of the seasoned vegetables in the bottom of a wide terracotta or metal baking dish.
- Place the marinated Nile perch portions on this vegetable bed, then gently cover with the remaining third of the vegetables.
- Drizzle the surface with the remaining extra virgin olive oil to encourage a glossy roast.
- Bake on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes, until the juices are bubbling, the edges of the bell peppers are browned and the fish flesh turns opaque white and flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove the dish from the oven, let rest for five minutes so the juices can settle, then scatter with the remaining fresh flat-leaf parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 374.2 kcal
- Protein
- 43.67 g
- Carbohydrate
- 8.29 g
- Fat
- 18.51 g
- Fibre
- 2.77 g
- Calcium
- 42.19 mg
- Iron
- 2 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.6 mg
